The 2026 Hyundai Palisade and the 2026 Toyota Prius have qualified for the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s TOP SAFETY PICK+ award, the highest award from the IIHS for improved performance.
The Palisade performed better in the moderate overlap front crash test, and the Prius, which previously held the lesser TOP SAFETY PICK award, improved in the updated vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention evaluation.
According to the IIHS, vehicles must have “good ratings in the moderate overlap front, small overlap front and side crash tests and acceptable- or good-rated headlights across all trim levels” to qualify for either the TOP SAFETY PICK or TOP SAFETY PICK+ award.
Vehicles need an acceptable or good rating in the pedestrian front crash test to earn the TOP SAFETY PICK award. In addition to meeting all requirements for the TOP SAFETY PICK award, vehicles that earn the TOP SAFETY PICK+ award must have “an acceptable or good rating in the updated vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention evaluation that was introduced last year,” stated the IIHS’s press release.
Only Palisades built after November 2025 qualify for the Top Safety Pick+ award due to Hyundai’s changes to the rear seatbelt. Earlier-built vehicles earned an acceptable rating in the moderate overlap test. When the awards were first announced in March, the Prius did not earn a plus because “it had not undergone the updated vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention test,” stated the IIHS, noting that all 2026 models now qualify for the plus.
The 2026 Hyundai Palisade earned a good rating in seven of the eight categories, with a good-plus rating in LATCH ease of use. The 2026 Toyota Prius earned a good rating in six categories, with an acceptable rating in headlights and a good plus rating in LATCH ease of use. The IIHS notes that LATCH ease of use and seat belt reminders are not part of the award criteria.
